Scioto and Columbus. (Wikimedia Commons)

The arts that are all around us.

On Sunday, January 26, at 3:00 p.m., hundreds of young classical musicians from the Columbus Symphony’s Youth Orchestra performed for the public Vern Riffe Center’s JoAnn Davidson Theatre.

For only a $5 ticket, one could attend the program’s annual Showcase Concert, a spectacular reveal of the fruits of tireless work. 

The Junior Strings orchestra (grades 3-6), directed by Sara Given, opened the concert with “Coronation March” by Giacomo Meyerbeer, followed by “Northern Lights” by Alan Lee Silva, and “Dragon Dances” by Soon Hee Newbold.

Next up was the Chamber Strings orchestra (grades 6-9) with a lively performance of “Sparks” by Chris Bernotas, a folk classic, “Shenandoah” arranged by Larry Moore, and “Finn McCool” by Robert Buckley under Dr. Robert Gillespie’s direction.

The Cadet Orchestra (grades 7-10), led by Dr. Mark Sholl and Dr. Jim Bates took the stage with “Triumphant March” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and a selection of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen Suites.”

To conclude, the Youth Orchestra (grades 9-12) performed “Les Préludes” by renowned Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt,conducted by Andrés Lopera.

This grand display of music in our community showed that in the arts, even sensational experiences can come at an inexpensive price.